Revolving fan



Patented May 13, 1919.

. INVENTOR E ar/ W 000mm.

WITNESSES C ATTORN EY PE rm: :0. Puma-Lima, WASHING 10M UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EARL W. DENMAN, OF WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

REVOLVING FAN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 13, 1919.

Application filed February 1'7, 1915. Serial No. 8,856.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EARL W. DENMAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Wilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Revolving Fans, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to revolving fans, and it has special reference to gyratory electric fans that are adapted to turn on axes of rotation while simultaneously and automatically turning around external axes of revolution.

One object of my invention is to provide a gyratory fan of simple, compact and durable construction which shall be provided with positively actuated mechanical means for effecting the rotation of the fan support by power derived from the rotating shaft that carries the fan blades.v

Another object of my invention is to provide a fan of the above-indicated character which may be readily adjusted to deliver air, either horizontally or at various angles of inclination, without disengaging the gear ing through which the fan structure is revolved.

A further object of my invention is to provide a fan of the above-indicated character with a positively actuated train of mechanism which is rigidly associated with the fan support and is yieldingly connected to the stationary hanger or other supporting means around which the fan revolves, whereby the revolution of the fans around their external axis may be stopped without damaging any of the parts or interrupting the driving connection between the fan motors and the stationary support.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view, partially in elevation and partially in section, showing a revolving fan constructed in accordance with my invention and provided with two sets of rotating fan blades. Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially along the lineII-II of Fig. 1 and showing the train of gearing which efi'ects the rotatory movement of the fan support.

The structure shown in the drawing comprises two fan motors 1 and 2 which are pivotally supported at 3 and 4: upon opposite sides of a bracket 5 that is rotatably suspended from a hanger rod 6 or otherwise attached to a stationary support. To the screw-threaded lower end of the hanger b is attached a cylindrical casting 7 which 1s provided with inwardly extending arms 8 that support an internally screw-threaded member 9 which is engaged by the screwthreaded upper end of a vertical shaft 10. The lower end of the shaft 10 is also screwthreaded and engages threads in a bottom casting 11, the exterior contour of which is substantially spherical. The outside of the bracket 5 is also spherically curved to correspond to the bottom casting 11, and a hood 12 is disposed above the bracket 5 and rests upon a shoulder 13 formed in the casting 7. The members 5, 11 and 12 together compose a generally spherical structure. The bracket 5 is provided with an upwardly extending sleeve 14 that surrounds the rod 10, and ball bearings 15 are disposed in a suitable ball race between the sleeve 14 and the bottom casting 11.

As the fan motors 1 and 2 may be of any desired type, the details of their structure will not be described. Secured to the rear end bell of each of the fan motors is a gear box 16 that is associated with the fan motor 1 and contains themechanism for driving the bracket 5 around its support by power derived from the armature shaft 17 of the fan motor.

Axially secured to the armature shaft 17 in any suitable manner, as by means of cooperating clutch teeth 18 and 19, is a worm 20, which is maintained in engagement with the shaft 17 by means of a plug 21 screwed into a screw-threaded opening in the wall of the gear box 16. The worm 20 meshes with aworm wheel 22 that is mounted on a short shaft 23 in coaxial relation with the pivot 3 of the fan motor 1, as is clearly shown in Fig. 2. Also secured to the short shaft 23 is a bevel gear wheel 24: meshing with a bevel gear wheel 25 which is secured to one end of a horizontal shaft 26 that is rotatably mounted in bearings in a bracket 27 attached to the hanger 5. To the end of the shaft 26, opposite to the bevel gear wheel 25, is fastened a similar bevel gear wheel 28 which meshes with bevel gear teeth formed upon a ring 29 that is disposed around the reduced lower end of the cylindrical casting 7. The ring 29'is normally maintained in a stationary position by means of an annular double-concave spring 30 which is mainpermitted to rotate relatively to the casting 7 if sufficient power is applied to it to overcome the friction between these members 7 caused by the compression spring 30. The

scribed above.

degree of such compression may be varied by manipulating the nut 31, and the ring 29 may therefore be caused to yield to any predetermined amount of force.

It will be evident that the rotation of the armature shaft 17 will be transmitted to the bevel gear wheel 28 through the worm wheel 22, shaft 23, bevel gear wheels 24 and 25 and shaft 26, and that the engagement between the bevel gear wheel 28 and the teeth on the relatively stationary gear. wheel 29 will pull the bracket 5 and the fan motors l and 2 around the axis of the gear ring 29. The speed of this movementor revolution may be varied by changing the relative diameters of the gear wheels composing the train of driving gears.

The fan motors 1 and 2 are loosely mounted upon their respective pivots 3 and 4: andemay be maintained at predetermined equal inclinations by means of reciprocable members, one of which is shown at 33, the outerends of which are rounded to engage suitably rounded portions of the fan-motor casings. These adjusting members may conveniently be operated in unison by means of a wing nut 3st through linkage mechanism which is described and claimed in a copending application of Oliver S. Jennings, Serial N 0. 791, filed January 6, 1915 and assigned to the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company.

Energy may be supplied to the fan motors 1 and 2 in any convenient manner, such, for example, as by means of a pair of brushes contained in brush holders 50 and 51 and engaging slip rings 52 and 53. The electric current may be controlled by a switch device 54 and an operating chain or cord 55. The conductors supplying energy to the brushes and from the slip rings to the fan motors may be arranged in any convenient and usual manner and are not shown on the drawing.

I When the fan motors are positioned with the axes of their armature shafts horizontal, the rotation of the bracket around the hanger 6 is'produced solely by power transmitted through the train of gearing .de-

'When, however, the fans are tilted either-upwardly, or downwardly, as shown in the drawing, the torque of the motors will either assist or retard the driving effect-of the gearing, depending upon the direction of tilt, the direction of rotation of the fan blades and the consequent direction in which the torque is exerted. This torque effect may, of itself, be sufficient to rotate the bracket. In such a case, no driving poweris transmitted by the gearing, which performs the function of a speed regulator only, maintaining a fixed speed ratio between the fan blades and the bracket.

The structure herein shown and described may be variously modified without departing from the principles of my invention, and it is therefore to be understood that my invention coniprehends all such changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a. rotatable support and a relatively stationary member, of a motor mounted on the said rotatable support, a gear train driven by the said motor for rotating the said support, a gear wheel driven from the shaft of said motor and driving said gear train, and pivots alined with the axis of said wheel for mounting said motor on said support, and a rotatablv yielding driving connection between said gearing and said stationary member.

2. The combination with a support, of a relatively rotatable support, a motor mounted thereon, a system of bevel gearing driven by the said motor for rotating the said sup- 2 port, a worm wheel driven from the shaft of said motor, and pivots alined with the axis of said wheel for pivotally mounting said motors on said support.

3. The combination with a rotatable support, of a motor mounted thereon, relatively stationary means for supporting the said rotatable support, and a train of gearing rigidly associated with the said rotatable support and a normally stationa'ryfgear, said stationary gear being circumferentially yieldingly connected to the said stationary support, said train of gears being driven by the said motor for rotating the said rotatable support.

4. The combination with a rotatable support, of a motor mounted thereon, relatively stationary means for supporting the said rotatable support, a gear circumferentially yieldingly connected to the said stationary supporting means, and a train of gearing driven by the said motor and cooperating with the said gear for rotating the said rotatable support.

by the said motor and cooperating with the said gear for rotating the said rotatable support, a spring for maintaining the said gear in frictional engagement with the said stationary supporting means, and means for varying the force exerted by the said spring on the said gear.

6. The combination with a rotatable support, of a motor mounted thereon, a worm wheel, a pair of meshing bevel gear wheels driven by the said motor through the said worm wheel, a shaft secured to one of the said bevel gear wheels, a third bevel gear wheel secured to the said shaft, and a bevel gear ring circumferentially yieldingly disposed in a stationary position with respect to the said rotatable support and meshing with the said third bevel gear wheel, whereby the said rotatable support is normally rotated during the operation of the said motor but is adapted to be restrained from rotation during the operation of said gearing.

7 The combination with a support, of a relatively rotatable member, a motor mounted on said member, a gear wheel driven by said motor, a mechanical connection for driving said member from said wheel and a pivot tor mounting said motor on said memher, the axis of said pivot being substantially coincident with the axis of sald gear wheel.

8. The combination with a support, of a relatively rotatable member, a motor mounted on said member, a gear wheel driven by said motor, a mechanical connection for driving said member from said wheel, said mechanical comiection being adapted to frictionally engage said support, and a pivot for mounting said motor on said member, the axis of said pivot being substantially coincident with the axis of said ear wheel.

9. The combination with a support, of a relatively rotatable member, a motor mounted on said member, a gear wheel driven by said motor, a mechanical connection for driving said member from said wheel, and a pivot for adj ustably mounting said motor on said, member, the axis of said pivot being substantially coincident with the axis of said gear wheel.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 16th day of Feb.,

EARL W. DENMAN. Witnesses:

OLIVER S. JENNINGS, B. B. Hmns.

Copies'ot this patent may be obtained for five cent: each, by addressing the Commissioner of I'atentn,

' Washington, I). 0." 

